Why Blaptica Dubia Roaches?

Why use Blaptica dubia (a.k.a. Guyana spotted roach) as a feeder?

Blaptica dubia roaches (referred by us as "dubi" pronounced "do-bee") are a superior feeder insect over anything on the market today. Below are what we believe are the top 12 reasons for feeding your animals this superior feeder.

36% protein Protein is required for the growth, maintenance, and repair of all cells. Therefore, a growing animal needs a lot of protein and so do breeding females. This is why breeders prefer to use dubi to produce the healthiest babies. It also helps female breeders recover quicker, potentially providing more offsping. There is absolutely nothing you can gut load a mealworm or a cricket with that can get you even close to the protein that a dubi naturally provides. This is why it is not necessary to spend a lot of money on expensive protein gut loads like you have to do with crickets and mealworms.

The table below provides a nutritional comparison of some popular insects currently used in the feeder market:

Slow growing

Unless you are trying to breed these feeders, slow growing is an advantage. It takes a relatively long time (3-6 months) for dubi to mature to adult size. It can sometimes require years before you can feed from your colony depending on how many you start with and how much you feed. A mature female dubi will produce about 30 nymphs every month with a life total of 540.

Crickets grow at such a fast rate that if you buy them in volume, most can be too big before you feed them all off. With dubi this is not an issue. This is also why it is safe to buy bigger quantities of dubi. They will stay the size you need for your animal for a few weeks at least depending on how warm you keep them.

For those who have to feed a lot of animals (many clutches of bearded dragons for example), it is imperative that the sizes be consistent. There is nothing more serious than a baby bearded dragon getting that one cricket that is too large. You can end up with a dead dragon. With dubi, you minimize this risk while providing a healthy diet.

Nonaggressive A dubi will not harm your animal in any way. Crickets can "pick" on your animal. We know of one person whose baby bearded dragon lost an eye because of a cricket. It will not eat a cricket to this day. But it will eat a dubi! We recommend that you take out your uneaten crickets to prevent this.

House friendly Dubi will not infest your house if they get loose. This seems to concern people the most. We can't tell you how many people we have talked to at reptile shows who believe that if these get out they will get an infestation. Dubi need a temperature higher than room temperature to breed. Less than 1% of roach species are pests.

Poor climberDubi can't climb glass or plastic so there’s no need to worry about junior leaving the lid off. This rule, however, is broken with adult males, which can fly, but not very often and not very well, more like how a turkey flies. So if you leave the lid off you might end up with males out and about. Don't worry though. They die quickly due to moisture loss. Nymphs don't have wings.

Low odorCompared to other feeders, the odor is minimal. You probably won’t even notice them.

Gut loadedOur roaches are fed a high quality protein diet with all the essential and nonessential vitamins and minerals. You still need to use calcium powder (with D3 if necessary).

Can't jump Dubi are easy to capture when dropped and easy to transfer from container to cage for feeding.

Minimal noiseDubi only make noise when they are moving. Switch from crickets to dubi and you will never have that one cricket that got out keeping you awake all night.

Long lifespanDubi live a long time. Females live up to two years. This means you can buy them in bulk saving money while providing a healthy diet for your animal.

Low maintenanceUnless you are breeding them, the maintenance is quite simple. Keep egg crates vertical in a plastic rubber main container. Use water crystals for water. Carrots also work well for water. For food, use roach chow (will be selling this shortly), vegetables, fruits, dog food, monkey chow. They eat just about anything. But not potatoes. We tried them and they don't like them.

High meat-to-shell ratioThis is another way of saying more nutrients by weight. Other feeders contain more chitin. Chitin is indigestible and provides nothing in terms of nutrient for your animal.

What temperature do I need to keep them?Unless you are breeding them, you can keep them at room temperature.

What humidity do I need?Anywhere between 50%-65%. You can spray them with water daily or provide moist food. Make sure you remove uneaten food after 24 hours.